NOTEBOOK: Domination in Frontcourt Leaves Harvard Seniors Disappointed

BOONE, N.C.—The Harvard men’s basketball team will remember Wednesday night’s matchup at Appalachian State for a long time—and for all the wrong reasons.

A 93-71 loss in the first round of the CollegeInsiders.com Tournament left the Crimson’s seniors with a disappointing conclusion to their collegiate careers, and its rookies with a sense of what postseason basketball so often entails for Ivy squads—games on the road against bigger and quicker teams.

Harvard managed to jump all over its hosts from the opening tip, using impressive defensive energy to force turnovers on each of Appalachian State’s first three offensive possessions.

But after surprising the Mountaineers by establishing a 30-18 lead in the game’s first 10 minutes, the Crimson’s energy dissipated, as did its 67-percent shooting from the field.

Following a layup by rookie Kyle Casey that gave Harvard an 11-point advantage—its final double-digit lead of the night—Appalachian State’s physical style of play began to takes its toll down low.

With over eight minutes to go in the frame, a missed shot in the post by forward Josh Hunter was tipped in by center Isaac Butts, whose body truly lived up to his name.

Collecting a team-high seven rebounds and eight points, the 6’10”, 285-lb Butts gave his defenders fits in the paint, as both Casey—who appeared worn down and missed eight of his 13 field goal attempts—and sophomore center Keith Wright had trouble dealing with him one-on-one.

Butts’ front-court teammates Hunter and Andre Williamson, who combined for 24 points and 11 rebounds, also bullied around the Crimson’s undersized forwards, out-leaping senior Pat Magnarelli and co-captain Doug Miller for boards, second-chance buckets, and the occasional block.

“I thought their front-line guys were just outstanding tonight versus our guys,” Harvard coach Tommy Amaker said. “The points in the paint were…a tremendous advantage.”

After sophomore wing Max Kenyi threw up an air ball from behind the arc after Butts’ tip-in, the Crimson allowed two offensive rebounds on the same possession, finally leading to a three-pointer by guard Kellen Brand to cut the deficit to six.

Three minutes later, layups by Butts and Hunter helped their team close the half on a 13-0 run, punctuated by Hunter snatching the ball from Harvard’s Wright and eventually finding Williamson for a crowd-pleasing dunk.

And Hunter put his team ahead by six at the half with a one-handed put-back of a missed three as the buzzer sounded. The home squad outscored its opponents, 20-8, in the paint and 12-0 on second chance opportunities in the first half alone.

PERIMETER PROBLEMS

The matchup was not much better for Harvard in the backcourt, as Appalachian State’s guards relentlessly attacked the hoop, especially on fast breaks. Even after the Crimson’s made baskets, the Mountaineers pushed the tempo of the game, looking to catch defenders off guard.

And once in the half-court, Appalachian State was able to make Harvard pay with stellar outside shooting.

Shaking off an uncharacteristically slow start, guard Donald Sims—who leads his team in scoring with 20 points per game—knocked in six threes on the way to a team-high 22 points.

Combining for 24 points, teammates Brand and reserve Marcus Wright also did damage getting into the lane and showed off impressive midrange games, enabling the Mountaineers to pull away to a 16-point lead at the 11:24 mark.

With its big men clearly overmatched in the paint, Harvard’s headliners on the perimeter couldn’t bring their team all the way back.

Co-captain Jeremy Lin contributed a 12-point, seven-rebound effort, but the guard was never dominant in the final game of his Harvard career and went 0-for-3 from behind the arc—attempts that all missed badly.

“They were physical, and they were fast, and that’s not necessarily something that we’re used to,” Lin said. “They surprised us, and they played better than us.”

Freshman Brandyn Curry was 3-of-6 from the field, including a pair of three-pointers, but the lone bright spot for Harvard was the play of wing Christian Webster. The rookie led his team with a career-high of 24 points, including 6-of-6 from three-point range.

Most of his offensive barrage came in the first half as the Crimson established its lead. Webster spotted up and hit a trio of treys all from nearly the same spot deep in the left corner.

Later in the second half, Webster would find the mark again on a clean three from the left wing, putting Harvard back within single digits with just over 15 minutes to go.

But on the next possession, Butts would lay the ball in off an offensive rebound by Brand, and the Mountaineers would run away with the home win.